


i don't have a love song to make you stay

by yutaligion



Series: believe with closed eyes, that i'll be by your side [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, But it's only one scene, Deal With It, Domestic Violence, First Love, How Do I Tag, I Tried, I swear, Kihyun wears make up on the daily, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, i love jooheon, my first first love au, reference of domestic violence, they're all oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-05-28 06:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19388569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yutaligion/pseuds/yutaligion
Summary: How do you fall in love with someone, when you don't know what falling in love is in the first place?





	1. i. through the years

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChatKat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChatKat/gifts).



> Hey, so, there's a few things I should make clear before y'all start reading.
> 
> First, I'm not from South Korea, I've never lived there or even visited, so I apologize if I get anything wrong regarding the way of living there.
> 
> Second, the boys are all supposed to be in college, however, I've changed their ages for this:  
> Shownu and Wonho are both twenty-five  
> Jooheon and Hyungwon are twenty-four  
> Minhyuk, Kihyun and Changkyun are twenty-three  
> It should also be mentioned that I won't be using any of their family's names, so expect ther siblings/parents to be named differently.
> 
> Third, there's no homophobia here, so we are gonna ignore tha fact that same sex marriages are not legal in south korea. I can't deal with homophobic people, therefore I won't write homophobic people, so for example, even though Minhyuk's father in this will be definitely annoying and has very bad qualities, being homophobic won't be one.
> 
> Fourth, this is inspired by the kdrama "my first first love", so the storyline will be very similar, however I'll be changing some things, such as characters and the interactions between them.
> 
> That's all, I hope you enjoy reading this, and I'll look forward to reading your comments <3

He honestly didn’t think his 20th birthday dinner would end up like that. For starters, he didn’t even want to go to said birthday dinner.

His dad was already drinking his fourth glass of wine, his stepmother had been texting all night, his younger brother was the only one actually excited enough to sing him happy birthday when the waiter brought out the white cake.

“Happy birthday, dear Minhyuk! Happy birthday to you!” Yeongho claps as he finishes singing, looking at their parents as if to encourage them to sing too.

They clap lazily, like it was too much of a hassle to even lift their hands.

 _I want to be here as much as you do_ , he thinks.

“Great…” He says, also lazily.

“Hurry up and blow out the candles! Come on!” His brother pats his shoulders, a big smile on his face.

Minhyuk leans forward to blow the two pink candles, and as he leans back on the chair, he looks away from the table while saying.

“It’s my birthday, but there are no cards or presents.” He sulks. “I’m disappointed.”

His father sighs as the waiters take away the cake and start placing expensive dishes on the table. Yeongho insisted to sing happy birthday before dinner, in case there would be another of their weekly family fights and Minhyuk would run away before even looking at his cake.

“You have a card. _My_ credit card, to be exact.” He takes a sip of his wine. “I don’t have a present, but I do have something to say.”

He waits until Minhyuk looks back at him to continue.

“Since you’re twenty now, you should stand on your own two feet.”

That catches his attention.

“Really?” He leans forward, clearly more interested in the conversation now. “Wait, are you going to buy me a house?”

“Just a small studio apartment.” His stepmother buts in.

_It’s not even your money, stay out of this._

“One’s independence should start from the bottom.” His father continues, his stepmother nodding smugly.

“Oh, please!” He says as he combs his honey blond hair back. He started dying his hair when he was younger to anger his dad, but he actually liked the different colors on him, so he kept doing it. “You started afloat thanks to grandpa’s fortune!”

“Lee Minhyuk!” The other snaps at him. Before his father can reprimand him any further, whatever complicated dish he had ordered, that for some reason needed a torch to be taken to their table, caught on fire.

“Shit! Jesus Christ!” Mr. Lee screams as he stands up, and then turns to the waiter. “I’m here to eat steak, not to be grilled like one!”

The waiter is already stuttering apologies and giving a 90° degree bow to his father when Minhyuk stands up too.

“You don’t have to do that.” He says as he puts his hands on the man’s shoulders, encouraging to stand up right. “It’s okay, don’t worry.”

“Go! Just get out of my sight!” Yells his father as he sits back down.

The waiter looks back at Minhyuk as he starts to walk backwards.

“It’s alright. I’m sorry.” He apologizes on his father’s behalf.

When he turns back to the table, he receives a disapproving stare.

“What?” The blond says.

“My steak is on fire right now.” The elder responds while pointing at his plate.

Minhyuk blows at it until the fire dies out.

“Not anymore.” He smiles as he sits back down.

His father only shakes his head as he grabs his fork and knife.

“Dad, then…” Minhyuk interrupts him before he can cut the burnt steak. “Give me grandpa’s house, the one I grew up in.”

“That house?” He asks with a surprised expression.

“You need someone to clean it anyway. Houses that are cared for last longer.” He smiles kindly, only being more encouraged when his stepmother turns to his dad with a worried gaze. “Wouldn’t you rather have your son care for it?”

His father adopts a thoughtful expression for a few seconds.

“It is better than keeping it empty.” He says to his wife.

“He’s not ready to be independent and take care of a house all by himself.” Whines the woman. “What if he brings girls home and knocks one of them up?”

_Well, that won’t be much of a problem._

His father turns back to Minhyuk and gives him a stern look.

“You can’t. It’s too soon.” Says the woman with a smirk on her face.

The table stays quiet as the married couple return their attention to the food.

“Oh, my bad. Of course, my stepmom would know…” He says with a vague tone, and then fakes regret when she looks at him with a glare. “I mean… I shouldn’t have said that since you got married to dad because he knocked _you_ up.”

His brother, who at that point had only been eating while looking back and forth between the elder men as if he was watching a tennis match, drops his fork and looks surprised at his mom.

“What? Wait, I was a mistake?!” He points at himself, alarmed. His mother glares at Minhyuk more intensively. “Wow, I respect your determination!”

She sighs, offended.

“My gosh! Why would you say such a lie?!” She yells at Minhyuk, and before he can answer his father yells too.

“Stop!” They all stop to look at him.

The man sighs before looking at the eldest son.

“I will drop by unannounced once a week.” The defeated and incredulous look on his stepmom’s face makes Minhyuk beam even more.

“It must be grandpa’s house. I don’t want any other.” He answers, committed.

“If I find even a single girl’s hair—”

“Or guys, you know, he could have sex with guys.” His brother interrupts father.

_Thanks for the inclusivity, but it’s really not helpful right now._

“Whatever. If I find out you’ve been sleeping around with _anyone_ and bringing people into the house, you’re coming back home, deal?”

“Deal!” He answers immediately. “I won’t have anyone over. I swear on my life!”

* * *

Over a year has passed, and even though his dad promised to visit every week, he only visited a few times the first two months. It’s okay though, Minhyuk totally expected it since the beginning.

Meaning, it was totally safe now to bring guys over. He had stopped himself from dating the first year of living alone, just in case his father actually dropped by unannounced.

Now though, a twenty-one-year-old Minhyuk was getting ready for a date with the cute barista of the café near campus. He had put champagne to cool down on the coffee table and Jazz was playing from the speakers. He had invited the barista, Joohyuk, over to watch some movies, but if anything further happened, _well, he was okay with it._

He was dancing across the living room, going to every lamp to dim the lights, when he hears a familiar voice from his couch.

“You prepared all of this from me?” Drunkenly slurs someone.

When he turns, he’s greeted with his childhood friend Hoseok, dressed in pajamas with a glass of champagne.

“Thank you very much.” Slurs once again his friends before drinking the whole glass in one go.

“Hey! Do you have any idea how expensive that is?!” He runs over to get the bottle as far away from Hoseok before he drinks any more. “Why are you even here? Don’t you have a test tomorrow you should be studying for?”

“I dropped out and my folks kicked me out.” He mumbles as he stands up. “That being said…”

Minhyuk watches with a blank face as the muscular man walks towards him.

“Were you perhaps expecting company tonight?” The other hugs him as he starts falling asleep.

Sadly, Minhyuk wasn’t getting any that night, and for that matter, Joohyuk never spoke a word to him again apart from taking his order.

* * *

It’s in his third year living alone that Minhyuk meets Im Changkyun. Coincidentally, it wasn’t the first time their family interacted.

Apparently, Changkyun’s dad had gone to school with his father, thus becoming really close friends over time. His parents had met Changkyun when he was a baby, and apparently, Changkyun’s had met baby Minhyuk as well.

However, since his father was a scientist, his family had moved to the United States because of the research opportunities, so they had lost contact.

It wasn’t until his father died last year that his mom decided they should move back to their old house in Korea, and they ended up renting a place in one of Minhyuk’s dad’s buildings, where Mrs. Im put up a dumpling restaurant.

He met Changkyun through school, though. They both attended Hansung University, and since both were majoring in social sciences, Changkyun in Public Administration and Minhyuk in Realty Business Management, they shared many classes together.

At first, he didn’t think they’d get along, since Im Changkyun seemed like a serious, introvert kind of guy. However, once they got to know each other, they became really close friends.

Sadly for Minhyuk, that wasn’t always advantageous to him.

“You scared me!” He yelled.

He had just taken a shower, and as he walked into the room drying his hair with a small towel, he turned around to see Changkyun laying comfortable on his bed, a thick book on his hands.

_At least he’s wearing clothes this time._

“Im Changkyun, what are you doing here?” He says as he sits on his desk chair.

“Our kitchen’s being renovated so I can’t concentrate because of the noise.” The shorter one says, not even lifting his gaze.

“Hey, I need to study too, my exam is in two days.”

“So? Go somewhere else. There are other rooms.”

He sighs as Changkyun turns the page of his book, still not even looking at him.

“Unbelievable.” The honey blond throws the wet towel at his friend’s face. “You’re unbelievable.”

Changkyun catches it with one hand and then throws it to the side.

_I wanted hot guys sneaking into my house, but all o got were these good-for-nothing friends._

* * *

Minhyuk is now twenty-three, and he has decided long ago that this year, he won’t be stopped by his cockblocking friends from getting a boyfriend.

He’s brushing his teeth that morning as his phone starts beeping.

**BLIND DATE AT 7PM WITH HOT LITERATURE MAJOR!!**

He had put an alarm on his phone so he wouldn’t forget, although there was no way that’d happen given how he had remained single for three years.

So that morning, Minhyuk decided to look his best. He showered early; dressed in some of his best, casual clothes; actually tried to fix his hair, instead of just finger brush it; and wore his favorite cologne.

And even though he had a date that very day, the first person he thinks of that morning, is someone else.


	2. ii. a close friend— who’s only just a friend!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoo Kihyun’s life is though, luckily he’s not alone to handle it; Hyunwoo introduces Mr. First Love and Mr. Final Love

Yoo Kihyun prided himself in being a very organized person. You could ask anyone who had met him to list his best qualities, and everyone would say he was organized.

He always had his room cleaned, his notes were written very neatly, his school papers were always handed within the deadlines.

Unquestionably, Kihyun was organized. Which was probably one of the reasons why he couldn’t stand all the little red “seized item” notices pasted all over his furniture.

Unfortunately for him, given the amount of notices that are currently in his house, it’s almost impossible for him to not notice them as soon as he opens his eyes that morning, woken up by short beep coming from his phone.

He sits up, rubbing his eyes with one hand as he reaches for his phone with the other. He notices two things: one, he slept in, since he should’ve woken up at 7:30, and not 8:51; and two, he has a message from Minhyuk.

 **[minmin (** **◠** **‿** **◠** **✿** **)]**

**›› arriving in 10 mins**

**›› see u out front**

He smiles sleepily as he stretches his arms, phone still in his hand. He can get ready in ten minutes, even in less times if it means he’ll get out of the house faster, he dreads every second he has to look at those red little papers.

* * *

He reaches for the last plastic bottle that’s still full of water, the other three empty ones in front of him. He’s crouched on his yard, already dressed in a baggy sweater and jeans, a towel wrapped around his shoulders, as he leans his head forward to wash the shampoo off his hair. His phone is nearby on speaker, beeping every few seconds as he waits for his call to be answered.

“Please leave your message, after the tone.” Then, a long beep can be heard across the yard.

_Guess it’s leaving a voicemail again._

He lowers the bottle as he finishes washing his hair, and then starts drying it off with the towel.

“When are you going to stop avoiding the calls?” He says, annoyed. “Your only son is living alone in a house with no running water. Aren’t you even the slightest bit worried?”

He grabs the empty bottles and takes them inside.

“Your son even has to use the toilet at a nearby diner.” He puts them inside his school backpack.

 _I’ll have to go there again today;_ he thinks with disappointment.

“ _Ma’am_ ,” Kihyun says with a sweeter voice. “ _I’m sorry, but could I use the toilet?_ ”

He wraps the towel around his hair and sits down on his bed, pulling out a bag with his make-up from under it. He doesn’t own anything too flashy, but he has learned long ago that people tend to tip more if the waiter looks handsome. Kihyun knows he’s good looking, but given how desperate he is, he's not going to risk losing a few tips over the dark circles that keep growing under his eyes, only becoming bigger the more time he spends withouth hearing a word from his mom.

“Should a twenty-three-year-old man have to ask such thing every few days?” He questions, sweet tone long gone.

He glances at the many eviction notices thrown on his desk.

“The red sticky notes seem scary, and the court keeps sending mail. Something about an auction and a nominal transfer, but I don’t understand any of it.” He sighs, continuing in a much softer tone. “I’m freaking out here, mom. So, pick up the phone, for god’s sake!”

He snaps for a last time before hanging up. He takes off the towel and grabs his bag before heading out to the front door. As he walks across the front yard and towards the wood gates, he can hear the sound of a scooter’s claxon over the high stone fence.

“I’m not deaf, you know!?” He yells as he opens the gates.

Minhyuk lifts his gaze from his phone to look at him, and fakes a scared expression.

“My gosh!” Kihyun closes the gates, glaring at the taller one. “Dry your hair, will you? You look like a ghost.”

Kihyun brushes his fingers against his dark brown hair, as if that would fix the issue.

“I’d like nothing more than to be one.” He grabs the second helmet hanging from the handle of the scooter.

As he’s about to put it on, Minhyuk grabs both of his arms.

“Kihyun-ah, listen to me carefully. Today’s the last day I’m giving you a ride on the back of my scooter.”

“What? Why can’t I ride on your scooter anymore?” He asks, confused.

“Because today…” The honey blond gives him a secretive smile. “Today—”

The shorter one interrupts.

“You’re the one who picks me up every morning.” He says with a big smile and then leans forward. “I’m going to ride your scooter until I graduate.”

Then he puts the helmet on and sits behind Minhyuk, who’s reprimanding himself for letting Kihyun finish the conversation like that. He’s pretty much lost in his thoughts, only snapping back to reality once he feels Kihyun’s arm wrap around him.

“Let’s go.” He hears the brown haired say.

Minhyuk nods as he turns the scooter on.

* * *

_It had been a few years ago, their last one in high school, to be specific, when Minhyuk stood up in front of the same house. Although the setting was very different._

_He had dropped by after school. Kihyun had been absent that day, and given how he had had a perfect attendance record in the past years, it made Minhyuk worry._

**_IN MOURNING_ **

_Minhyuk, who had his hair dyed dark red back then, had been standing in front of the half-opened wooden doors for about fifteen minutes, staring at the paper sign pasted in them but not daring to go in, when an elderly couple dressed in black rushed by, accidentally pushing him in their attempt to get inside quickly._

_Inside, there were a few people surrounding a short woman, who was sobbing quietly._

_“What on earth happened?” Asked the elderly woman, hugging Kihyun’s mom, who began sobbing more loudly._

_As Minhyuk looked around the courtyard, he spotted a brown-haired guy sitting quietly in a wooden bench, far from all the people. He was also dressed in black, his usually well styled hair all messy, and even though he wasn’t crying, he was staring at the sobbing woman with a distant look in his eyes._

_“What am I going to do?!” Yelled the woman, crying loudly._

_That’s when Minhyuk realized he needed to be there for Kihyun, no matter what. His mom, who had always been an emotional woman, was a wreck, and it would most likely take a long time before she stopped mourning; it was probably why the brown-haired guy wasn’t crying, he was trying to be strong for her. Parents are supposed to take care of their kids, not the other way around; so, if she wasn’t going to be there for Kihyun in this time of need, who else would?_

_He goes to sit beside his best friend, and they say quiet for a while; Kihyun staring at his hands placed on his lap, and Minhyuk staring at the sky. After a few minutes, Minhyuk takes a large envelope out of his backpack and hands it to the shorter one._

_Kihyun raises an eyebrow, but says nothing as he takes it in his hands to immediately open it. He pulls out what appear to be application papers._

**_CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM APPLICATION._ **

_“Our teacher told me to give it to you, just in case.” Minhyuk says. “He said you were supposed to turn it in today and that the application is already closed, but they said they’ll wait if you’re still interested.”_

_“How can I go anywhere when my mom’s all alone now?” Kihyun responds, putting the papers back in the envelope. He hands it back to the redhead. “I didn’t really want to go anyway.”_

_Minhyuk can hear the people going inside the house, apparently his mother had offered their guests some tea._

_“Kihyun-ah, I…” He pauses, trying to find the right words. “I don’t know what to say to comfort you…”_

_“Don’t bother.” He sighs. “Some people just lose their parents young, I guess.”_

_He finishes quietly and looks back down at his hands, which had returned to his lap after returning the envelope. They don’t say anything for a few seconds, but then, Minhyuk sees a tear fall into his hands._

_It seemed Kihyun was just waiting for everyone to leave before he could finally mourn himself. Minhyuk looks at his friend to see him sobbing quietly, tears falling slowly._

_This wasn’t okay. Kihyun is a strong person. Kihyun_ doesn’t _cry. He couldn’t bear to see his best friend breaking._

_“Wow, it seems like it’s raining, Kihyun-ah.” He pretends to look at the sky, and even though there were many clouds around, it definitely wasn’t raining. “Jeez, this isn’t good at all. The weather report said it would rain tonight, not in the afternoon. Why does it have to be right now?”_

_Kihyun just smacks his head._

_“Can you stop talking? You’re being too loud.” He says, annoyed. However, the tears falling down his cheek were less._

_“Look, your hands are all wet.” The redhead grabs his hands and cleans the tears with his thumbs._

_Kihyun was still not looking at him._

_“Rain fell on your eyes as well.” He lifts his hands to his friend’s cheeks, and does the same. Kihyun stopped sobbing. “Why on earth is the rain only falling on you?”_

_Minhyuk grabs the umbrella he usually took to school during rain season out of his backpack and stands up in front of the other, then he opens it and holds it above the two of them._

_Kihyun finally looks him in the eyes._

_“Kihyun-ah,” The redhead gives him a small smile. “my mom died around this time of the year as well, and_ — _”_

_“Didn’t you say she passed away when you were a child?” He interrupts. “You don’t remember her.”_

_“Well, that’s right, but_ — _” Minhyuk admits._

_“It’s better to no remember.” He looks back at his lap. “The memories make it harder.”_

_“It doesn’t feel good to have your memories stolen either.” He lifts Kihyun’s chin with the hand not holding the umbrella. “Even though I don’t have any memories of her, it still hurts to not have a mom.”_

_He drops back his hand._

_“You know, it’s like I never had a mom from the beginning, but it still feels strange and painful. I got used to not having her around, though.” He places his hand in Kihyun’s shoulder. “You’ll get used to it too.”_

_Kihyun sighs._

_“Also,” Minhyuk gives him a kind smile. “you’ll be able to move on quickly because you have me. I’ll be right here for you, Kihyun-ah.”_

_Kihyun finally smiles back._

_“Idiot.” He says and smacks the hand with the umbrella._

You look prettier when you smile, though. _He thinks._

* * *

As the scooter comes to stop in front of the Creativity Hall, where all the classes of the Arts Deparment majors took place in, Minhyuk is still debating how to talk to Kihyun about his date and the consequences of him dating. He feels the other unwrap his arms and get down, and when he looks to the side, he sees Kihyun with the helmet on his hands.

“As always, I’m grateful for the ride.” He says with a wide smile. “I’ll look forward to many more.”

He bows and extends the helmet to him.

The honey blond grabs the helmet, and as the other starts to walk away, he calls out.

“Hey, Kihyun!” The other turns around. “Like I said, this is the last time I’ll be giving you a ride.”

“Why?” Asks the shorter one with a frown as he walks back to the scooter.

“I…” He says with a shy smile. “I’ll be dating someone soon.”

Kihyun snorts, erasing the smile from Minhyuk’s lips.

“What?” He asks, taken aback.

“Is that what you were so serious about?” Kihyun raises an eyebrow. “Are you seeing someone?”

“I will be, after my blind date tonight. My friend says he’s super hot.” He answers, almost like defending himself.

“Did that _super hot guy_ already agree to date you?” The brown-haired snorts again.

“Kihyun-ah, for guys like me,” He leans forward. “the success rate for blind dates is 100 percent.”

His friend looks him up and down, then raises his eyebrow again.

“If things go well,” Minhyuk continues. “I won’t drive you around anymore.”

“Keep dreaming.” He says with a smirk. “Hot guys rarely go on blind dates.”

“What do you mean?” The blond asks.

“Hot guys don’t need to go on those. They’re already taken.” He explains.

“I see.” He nods, faking to understand. “So, that’s why you’ve never had a boyfriend. You’re not hot enough for a guy to snatch you up.”

Minhyuk finishes with a mocking smile. Kihyun frowns at him and then smacks his chest.

“Good luck on your blind date, then. Just don’t talk, maybe that’ll help.” He turns around and walks away.

Minhyuk looks offended.

“Hey! Just so you know, guys dig my voice.”

Kihyun turns snorts again, and turns around to answer something witty, but before he can open his mouth, someone calls his name.

“Kihyun-ah!” He turns to see his friend and senior, Son Hyunwoo, smiling at him. He smiles back and then turns back to Minhyuk.

“People do say we should dream big.” He shrugs with a smirk. “I’ll see you around.”

He walks to Hyunwoo, who was waiting for him at the entrance of the big building.

“Fine, whatever!” He yells bitterly. “Why does he always make me act so childishly?”

He turns the scooter back on, and heads to his own classes.

* * *

_“Lee Minhyuk!” He stops running to look up. Their classroom was supposed to clean the halls that day, but had long ago stricken a deal with a certain brown-haired friend of his._

_Kihyun would clean on his behalf as well, if Minhyuk bought him snacks._

_He was actually coming back from the store when he heard someone yell his name from one of the classrooms on the second floor._

_As he looks up, he can see Kihyun peeking out from a window._

_“Did you buy the sausage bread?!” His friend asks him._

_Minhyuk, who was sporting back then a light shade of blue, lifts his hands holding the bag with the bread._

_“Yes, sir!” He yells back, chuckling as he continues walking forward._

_Kihyun smiles widely._

_“Come on up! I think it’s going to rain!” He finishes, looking up at the sky._

_He’s just below the window when Kihyun asks him._

_“Minhyuk, did you bring your umbrella?”_

No.

_“Yes, let me go get it.” He says before running back._

_Kihyun doesn’t need to know he went to the store for a second time._

_He finally makes his way back to the classroom, when he hears his name being mentioned inside._

_“Who? Lee Minhyuk?” Asks a very familiar voice._

_He stops outside the door to listen._

_“So, you’re going to tell him you like him?” Asks the same voice. Minhyuk leans in to see a group of three girls surrounding Kihyun._

_One of the girls, the shortest one, nods._

_“But why do you ask me for permission?” The man asks, confused._

_“Is there really nothing going on between you two?” The same girl who nodded asks._

_“What would there be?” He asks, still confused._

_“You two are usually together wherever you go.” Answers another girl. “Everyone’s debating whether or not you two are dating.”_

_“We’re not, I’ve already told you. Why won't you believe me?” He whines._

_The girls look to one another._

_“Minhyuk is_ really _handsome.” Says the short one, making the blue-haired one smile. “How can you not fall for a face like that?”_

_The girls all giggle,_

_“That’s because you didn’t see him when he was a kid.” Kihyun snorts. “He went from zero to average.”_

Well, you weren’t the cutest kid back then either.

_“So, you’ve never had any feelings for Minhyuk? Not even once?” Asks the short one again._

_That’s a question Minhyuk never realized he’d want to hear the answer to._

_Kihyun looks outside the window for a few seconds, making Minhyuk feel slightly nervous for some reason._

_“No.”_

_Something feels heavy inside of Minhyuk’s chest._

_“Really?” Asks the short girl._

_“He’s sweet, and charming, and really kind.” Kihyun lists. “But he’s not really my type.”_

_Minhyuk decides maybe listening to this conversation wasn’t the best idea, and he turns to leave._

_“I don’t believe you! There’s definitely something between you two.” He hears one of the girls say as he walks away._

* * *

“He looks handsome, as always.” Mentions Hyunwoo, trying to fish a reaction out of Kihyun.

“Gosh, not again.” The shorter one groans.

“What? You can’t tell me you’ve never thought it” He looks back to where the scooter was. “He’s a total catch, and you guys have been friends for twenty years.”

“Has it really been that long?” Kihyun frowns. “Damn, that must be why I’m so sick and tired of him.”

Hyunwoo chuckles.

“Hey, you might not realize it because he’s always by your side, but just wait and see. You’ll come to your senses when another guy swoops in.” He says as they walk down the halls. “Lee Minhyuk is very famous in his department. He’s Mr. First Love, you know?”

Kihyun scoffs.

“Mr. First Love? Him?”

Hyunwoo nods.

“When it comes to first loves, it’s important that the guy is approachable. When you first see Minhyuk, you think “ _Me? With a guy like him?_ ” But unexpectedly, he’s like the boy-next-door.”

 _He was literally the boy-next-door to me for years, and still nothing happened,_ thinks Kihyun.

“He’s good looking, but also completely approachable.” Continues listing the older one. “That’s why many are into him. Just wait and see, once he gets in a serious relationship, there’ll be many of our classmates drowning themselves in alcohol.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Says Kihyun as they start walking up the wide stairs to the second floor, where he had his first class.

“Still, there’s many who actually prefer Mr. Final Love” Hyunwoo mentions.

_Are the nicknames really necessary?_

“There’s a Mr. Final Love too?” Kihyun asks, surprised.

* * *

Since it was his second year working in the library as a part-timer, he had been tasked with placing the announcement on the boards of all the departments about the vacant left to work there. Changkyun could’ve used the extra minutes of sleep, but what else could he do except suck it up and wake up early.

> _“It’s hard to read him at first."_

He’s actually placing the last one, when he hears soft steps approach him.

“Sunbae-nim…” Says a feminine voice.

He turns his head towards the voice, a short girl he’s only noticed a dew times from one of his classes. When she remains silent, he turns to face the paper sheet in his hands, knowing she probably won’t feel as nervous if he doesn’t look her in the eye.

He was right.

“Could I have a minute? I have something to say.”

“Say it here.” He says as he finishes pasting the announcement on the board.

“Well, umm…” She gets quiet.

> _"He’s even quite intimidating.”_

“Are you going to tell me you like me?” He asks, still not looking at her.

“How did you know?” She sounds surprised.

Changkyun turns around, finally facing her, and gives her a small smile.

“You’ve been trying to approach me for days. It was really obvious.”

The girl blushes and looks down.

“I’ve felt this way since the freshman orientation.” She smiles shyly.

> _“And they say he’s prickly with almost everyone.”_

“I’m going to have to say no.” He says, still smiling kindly.

“Why?” She looks up. “I’m quite a catch, you know.”

“I don’t have time to get to know you, and that wouldn’t be fair to either of us.” He adjusts the strap of his backpack. “I may sound cold, but I think it’s more polite to turn someone down right away instead of leading them on.”

Changkyun finishes with an apologetic expression.

“There’s no need to be polite with me.” She pleads.

“I’m sorry. I have to go now.”

He bows to her, apologizing once again, before leaving.

* * *

“You know how it is, though. There’re some guys you just want to trust and follow.” Hyunwoo shrugs. “He has that vibe around him. Like the kind of person who’ll always be with you until the end.”

“I still think the nicknames are ridiculous.” Kihyun looks away. “Although, I’ll admit I’m a bit intrigued.”

“Would you like to go and meet him?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how often I'll be updating, since I have a BTS fic I also need to finish, however I'll try to do it as soon as possible. I hope you are enjoying it so far, don't forget to leave a comment so I can know your thoughts on this.
> 
> By next chapter we should be seeing the first appearance of Wonho and Hyungwon, so I hope you’re excited for that.
> 
> Lastly, I'll most likely post on my twitter when the updates will be, so follow me @itsamonbebe to be up to date on when new chapters will be out or to just fangirl over kpop together, my dms are open.


	3. iii. what are friends for?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do an architecture student, a spiring musical actor, and a chaebol heir have in common?  
> Apparently, Minhyuk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully she sees this, because I know for a fact that she downloads ff on epub to read them, but still.  
> @ChatKat good luck on your entrance exam! I'll love you and I know you'll do well!  
> This new chapter will be waiting for you when you finish it. <3
> 
> In this one, we finally see the two of the three missing members, and now the plot thickens. Next chapter we'll probably be meeting Jooheon.  
> Enjoy :D

“Please enjoy your meal.” Says a waitress as she places their cheeseburgers and fries on the table.

“She’s cute.” Minhyuk whispers with a smile to Changkyun, who was sitting in front of him reading some papers he pulled out from a yellow envelope. Changkyun didn’t even lift his gaze.

They were sitting in an outdoor restaurant. After classes, Minhyuk invited Changkyun to have lunch. Even though his friend refused at first, Minhyuk insisted it would be his treat.

“Stop it, told you I’m not interested in a relationship.” The shorter one says.

“That’s what you always say, but that’s because you haven’t found the right person.” The honey blond whines and takes a sip of his coke. “Are you applying for that?”

**FELLOW MENTORING PROGRAM APPLICATION**

Changkyun nods and puts the papers back in the envelope.

“For which one? There are a few options.”

“Civil servant.” He answers with a smile as he puts the envelope in his backpack.

“Civil servant?” Minhyuk adopts a thoughtful expression for a few seconds. “Well, it suits you.”

Changkyun raises an eyebrow at him, clearly confused.

“Stiff, boring,” The blond continues. “but also, honest and trustworthy.”

Changkyun deadpans at him.

“I’d trust the government if it was in the hands of someone like you.” He finishes as he grabs his burger.

There are a few seconds of silence as they both begin to eat.

“I’m right about it being boring, though.” Minhyuk says.

“Jobs shouldn’t be for fun.” Changkyun answers.

“Fun is what makes you work harder.” Minhyuk states passionately.

The other shrugs.

“I don’t need any of that.” He responds. “I like certainty, no matter what shape it comes in.”

“Certainty?” The honey blond asks, confused.

“You won’t get fired if you work correctly, and there’s a pension, so it’s a stable job.” Changkyun explains. “That’s certainty for me.”

“The average life expectancy for a man here is about eighty years, that’s a long time to predetermine how you’ll live. Circumstances will change.” Minhyuk points at the other with one of his fries.

“I don’t have time for a detour.” He says, serious expression on his face. “That’s for people who are well-off.”

Minhyuk lowers his hand self-consciously.

“Most guys look for a relationship as soon as they’re discharged from the army. But here you are, looking for a mentor.” The blond points out.

Changkyun smiles sheepishly and looks away.

“Oh!” Minhyuk suddenly looks excited, as if he just remembered something. “I’m going on a blind date today. I’ll set you up with someone if things go well.”

“Thanks, but I’m good.” Changkyun continues eating.

“But he’s hot. Want to see a photo?” He asks eagerly.

The other stares for a few seconds and then nods. Minhyuk puts his hand in the inner pockets of his jacket, as if looking on his phone.

“I’m joking!” He takes his hand out of his jacket, doing a finger heart. “There’s no photo.”

Changkyun scoffs at his joke, then crosses his arms.

“You don’t even know what he looks like?”

“It’s more fun this way.” He says excitedly.

Changkyun only chuckles.

* * *

“Is the food ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“There’s a spoon missing here.”

“Check the floral arrangements.”

“Is the photographer here, yet?”

There’s a lot that goes on before a party. Checking everything is okay, making last minute changes, getting everyone in the place they should be.

Hoseok used to dread going to this kind of expensive parties before, but that’s because he was attending them as his father’s son. Not even as Lee Hoseok, he was only Mr. Lee’s son.

That’s partly why he changed his surname from Lee to Shin, which didn’t help much to appease his father’s anger when a week later after that, he dropped out of medical school.

However, now that he’s going to these fancy parties as a singer, as Wonho, he’s certainly more than happy to go, specially because now he gets paid to do so.

“Check the microphone.” Says the wedding planner as he approaches the stage, where he is sat. “Let’s start the rehearsal.”

“Okay.” He stands up and walks towards the center of the stage.

* * *

An adult couple enters the hotel where the wedding reception would take place, both husband and wife dressed sharply for the event, followed by a man holding a big floral arrangement.

The man, probably in his fifties, leads the man towards an arched doorway, where there are already many other arrangements next to the open doors, all in different size and colors.

In the background, a masculine voice can’t be heard singing some vocal exercises. However, the couple are too distracted to see the arrangement being placed correctly to notice the man on stage.

“Wait, the name should be more visible.” The husband says as he grabs the pink ribbon with black letters, fixing it to his liking.

**HEAD PROFESSOR LEE SEOK-HWAN.**

“That’s more like it.” He says once he’s finished.

“Professor Lee.” A familiar voice calls him.

“Sir, you’re already here.” The husband and wife bow with a smile as they greet the other couple.

The couple in front of them

“Congratulations.” Says the professor as he shakes the other man’s hand, his wife doing the same with the other woman.

“You’re here quite early.” The other man says, probably older seeing the quantity of grey hairs on his head.

“Of course, I should be here early.” The professor states. “It’s none other than your family event.”

“We’re honored to have you here.” The other man’s wife says, wearing a traditional hanbok, unlike his own wife, who was also wearing a women’s suit.

“How does it feel to finally see him marry?” Mrs. Lee asks. “From the photos I’ve seen, your son looks quite handsome today.

The other couple smiles proudly.

“Well, it’s bittersweet.” The man answers, the Lee couple nods, understanding. “Hold on, your son’s name is Hoseok, right? Where is he?”

Professor Lee grimaces.

“Yes, he’s studying for a college exam again.” Mrs. Lee forces a smile on her face as she hears her husband talk. “That boy is so stubborn. He kept saying he wanted to go to the school I went to, no matter how difficult it was. And look at him now.”

The other couple nod, approvingly.

“I see he’s as ambitious as you.” The other man says.

The all chuckle. That’s when the singer on stage stops with the vocal exercises, and starts singing a romantic ballad. The woman in a hanbok, pleased with the man’s voice, turns to look at the singer, but the smile on her face doesn’t last long once she takes a look at his face.

“Hey, isn’t that…” The woman says, making the others turn to where she was looking. “… isn’t that your son?”

While Mrs. Lee faked surprise, it was inevitable to notice the fond look in her eyes while looking at her son on the stage. However, the same thing couldn’t be said about professor Lee, who had a heavy frown on his face.

Hoseok (or Wonho, seeing he was working at the moment and took his stage persona very seriously), was so into the song he had his eyes closed while singing. He opened his eyes just as he started a new verse, suddenly faced with the two couples looking at him, making him interrupt his beautiful singing with a surprised yell.

* * *

“Here it is, sir.” Says the assistant his mom hired for him as she pulls the chair of the table for him.

Hyungwon sits as his bodyguard stands next to the table. Why? His mother made sure they reserved the entire restaurant for an hour, so it was not likely anyone would approach him.

The assistant puts the cloth serviette on his lap as a waiter leaves his meal in front of him.

“The application for the school dorm has been taken care of,” The assistant says as she stands beside him. “so, there’s nothing you need to worry about.”

 _There’s always nothing for me to worry about_ , he thinks bitterly as he reaches for his cutlery.

“On weekends, you’ll stay at the hotel with your mother.” The assistant continues.

He turns towards her.

“Every weekend?” He asks.

“You know how worried your mother gets.” She nods.

He turns to his food, sighing.

* * *

He’s putting on a table when he gets the call.

Kihyun likes his part-time job. Don’t get him wrong, there are a lot of other things he would rather do with his time, but it’s not bad.

His coworkers are nice, the clients give him good tips, he only has to go three hours every weekday afternoon. All in all, it gives him enough money to keep eating well, and that on its own it’s good enough.

He was asked to arrive later than usual that day, just before they opened for dinner, and he was tasked with arranging the cutlery while one of his coworkers arranged their floral center pieces.

There were only four tables left when his phone rang.

**UNKNOWN**

He didn’t usually answer to unknown numbers, but ever since his mom disappeared, he did, hoping it was her calling him from a public phone.

“Hello?” A hopeful smile appeared on his face, unbeknownst to him.

“Is this Yoo Kihyun?” It wasn’t his mom, but the elderly woman who lived in front of him. His husband had died years ago, and with his son working in another city, she tended to invite Kihyun from time to time over to dine at her house. She was only looking for company, and with him being as lonely as she was, was more than happy to oblige.

“Yes, it’s me Mrs. Choi.” He says, still smiling. “It’s been a while.”

“Are you home right now, dear?” The woman asked.

“I’m actually at work right now. Did you need something, ma’am?” To return the favor, he used to do her groceries and pick up her medicine every other week. It was a fair deal.

What she said next erased the smile off his face.

“At my house? Right now?” He asks frowning.

* * *

“On the floor! Now!”

Wonho lowered himself to a push-up position on their living room.

“You went there knowing that it was the wedding of my boss’ son?” His father asks besides him, holding a steel golf club.

He can see his mom’s shoes from where she’s sitting at the sofa.

“Are you that dense?” He continues.

Hoseok lifts his gaze from the floor and turns to his father.

“I honestly didn’t know.” He says sincerely as he lowers his body to the floor, only lifting his torso with his arms. “When you do gigs you don’t care for the names, jus for the amount you’re being paid.”

“Lift your legs.” His father orders sternly.

Hoseok gets back in the position he was originally in, when he feels the golf club hit against his ribs. His mom turns away as he swallows his groans.

“You still…” Mr. Lee says between every hit. “… haven’t given up… on doing musicals… have you?”

Hoseok can’t help but groan lightly at the last hit, and his father yells before smashing a photo frame nearby, the sound of breaking glass startling both his mom and himself.

“Honey!” His mother yells as she stands up and tries to take the club from her husband’s hands. “Stop it, already!”

Hoseok grimaces from the floor, waiting for the next hit, when he turns to the smashed frame. It’s their family portrait from last year.

His father throws the club in front of him.

“I’ve had enough of you.” Mr. Lee says as he walks towards their loveseat. “Get out!”

Hoseok is still staring at the portrait intently as he stands up slowly.

“Fine.” He turns to his father.

“Right now!” Mr. Lee yells again.

“Fine!” He yells back and turns to leave.

“Leave everything you bought with my money!” His father yells again as he’s about to leave the room.

“Fine.” He repeats as he scoffs and takes his phone out of his pocket, then places it on the floor.

He turns to leave when his father yells again.

“Lee Hoseok!”

 _That’s not my name anymore_ , he thinks as he turns once again.

“I said everything.” His father says with a serious expression.

Hoseok frowns as he thinks for a few seconds what his father might be referring to, then snorts as he starts to unbutton his shirt.

He throws his shirt on the floor and his mother turns away from the red marks on his back. He takes his clothes off, leaving himself only with his boxers.

“Fine, I’ll leave.” He tells them, slowly starting to raise his voice. “I’ll return when I make a name for myself, so stay healthy until I do, all right?”

“Why, you little…! How dare you!” His father stands up, grabs the glass flower pot sitting on their coffee table and throws it at his feet, making the other two family members scream. Hoseok jumps, barely avoiding it.

“You imbecile!” His father yells as he walks towards his son, looking enraged.

“Honey, just stop!” His mom grabs his arms as she stands in his way, crying.

“Was that not enough for you?! Want me to beat you up?!” His father continues from where he stands, even though if it came down to punches Hoseok would obviously win.

“Honey! Stop it, please!” His mother pleads as Mr. Lee reaches down for the golf club again. Hoseok takes his opportunity to run away.

“Hoseok, just go!”

“Hoseok, you ungrateful fool!”

He can hear his parents yelling at him, both with different intentions, as he walks out by the backdoor. He grabbed the first shoes he could on his way out, which ended up being his mom’s heels, and grabs randomly something from the closest clothes line.

He runs out on the street when he hears a scream. He looks up to see a woman with a stroller covering her baby as she continues screaming, and he realizes then that walking out almost naked might’ve not been the best.

“I’m sorry! I’m not that kind of person!” He apologizes as he turns to see if his father has walked out of the door.

“Get away from me!” The woman screams as she pushes the stroller away.

“I’m sorry! It’s just a misunderstanding.” He starts walking away when he accidentally pushes some girls with school uniforms, making them yell.

“What a pervert! Get lost!” Yells one of them as they hug each other.

“I’m sorry!” He yells as he runs, hurriedly trying to put on what he realizes it’s one of his mom’s dresses.

_This is definitely not my day._

* * *

He ended up asking one of his coworkers to cover for him, and since it was near enough that taking a taxi would actually be a waste of money instead of a useful commodity, he ran home.

When Kihyun arrived, he was greeted with a moving truck in front of his house. There was a man taking their coffee table into the truck when he approached the front gates.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked, frowning.

“Who are you?” The man asked in return as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“I live here.” He explained, still frowning. Another man comes out of his house, carrying a chair into the truck.

“That’s absurd. We just met the owner inside.” Said the newcomer, pointing pass the wooden gates

Kihyun heads into the courtyard.

“Be careful with that. Please be gentle.” Says a petite woman to some of the workers taking things into the house.

As if she can feel him staring, she turns towards him.

* * *

They are walking towards the Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, when Hyungwon stops.

“I’ll go and change in the restroom.” He tells his. “It’s a twelve-hour flight and I’ll be uncomfortable if I wear the suit all the way there.”

“Of course.” She nods.

He reaches for the handle of his suitcase; however, his assistant doesn’t let it go.

“I’ll carry it for you.” She says.

He adopts a serious expression and raises a perfectly groomed eyebrow.

“I’m going to the restroom.” He remarks.

“Oh, right.” She says sheepishly and steps back.

He finally takes it and walks towards the nearest restroom, hearing the steps of his assistant and bodyguard behind him.

"It might take a while, I think the food didn't sit well with me." He says, apologetically. "Luckily, the flight leaves in three hours, right?"

For once, arriving early to the airport had advantages.

He enters it, and once he waits for the two pilots in there to leave, he locks it. He then opens his suitcase and pulls out the black hiking backpack he prepared for this.

> **If you're reading this note, then it means my plan succeeded, right?**

He recounts the numerous stacks of money he put in his black designer backpack, then grabs the box of pink hair dye he put in the suitcase.

It had been really easy to convince his mom to let him bleach his hair last week, saying it was for a photoshoot, when in reality he only wanted to do it to make it easier to dye his hair color now.

It’s about an hour later, once applied the dye, rinsed it and toweled it quickly, when Hyungwon walks out of the restroom; he’s wearing a green tracksuit with sunglasses on, and carrying a backpack instead of a suitcase.

He tries to be as unsuspicious as possible as he passes by his bodyguard and assistant, trying to pass of as a student with colored hair trying to be trendy and about to go hiking; instead of a disguised heir of a multibillion company.

> **It's just that for all my life, I've never been free to choose what I want to do. I want to get away from all of this, even if it's just for a while.**

The feeling he gets once he walks out of the airport it’s indescribable, and the smile on his face is so big, there’s no way he could’ve tried to keep it away.

He takes off his sunglasses and heads towards one of the taxis nearby.

> **I'll stay at a friend's house for a while and enjoy a long-overdue vacation. Don't worry too much, I'll call you soon, mom.**

“Where to, sir?” Asks the driver once he gets in the backseat.

He pulls a folded piece of paper out of his pants pocket.

**LEE MINHYUK**

**121 YEONHA-RO**

**MAPO-GU, SEOUL**

* * *

“Did you really live here until this morning?” Asks the woman with a worried tone after he finished explaining the situation to her. They’re standing in the courtyard while workers are still moving furniture around.

He nods, ashamed, and continued staring to the floor.

“You didn’t have any running water or electricity. Wasn’t it scary?” She asks, worried expression still on her face.

“I had nowhere else to go.” He admits quietly.

The woman is quiet for a few seconds, Kihyun still hadn’t lift his head.

“What about your parents?” She asks.

“My dad passed away.” He sighs. “I’ve been trying to reach my mom, but I haven’t been able to reach her.”

“I understand the situation you’re in,” She says apologetically. “but we bought this house at an auction following all the legal procedures.”

“But it’s _my_ house.” He finally lifts his gaze.

“I understand your situation—”

“My dad built it himself.” He interrupts. “He chose the tiles and put all the finishes touches to it.”

The woman sighs and looks away for a while, thinking.

“Look for a bag that can fit your things.” She says. “You should take what you can and pack up the rest of your things for later, so you can come pick them out where you find where to stay. This is the best I can offer you.”

He nods, and goes into the house, now mostly empty.

He walks into the room almost dazed, and he stops at the doorway, from where he can see a black-haired man, younger than most of the other workers, trying to make his knitted blanket fit in a plastic bag.

The one his mom made for him when he was a kid.

Kihyun frowns as he takes both the blanket and the bag out of his hands.

“Stop. I’ll do it myself.” He says, brusquely.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Kihyun turned away and started folding the blanket gently. The man stood there for a while, before he turned and started to walk away.

* * *

It was the first time someone got angry at him for moving the furniture, so please forgive Changkyun for staring at the short, angry, brown haired guy in front of him for more time that he probably should!

And when he finally turns around and starts to walk away, he stopped as he notices writing on the wooden doorway. There are many milestones of “Kihyun” (probably the angry guy), all dated and measured

— **12.3.2**

**171 cm KIHYUN finishes jr. high school**

— **10.2.15**

**170 cm KIHYUN GRADUATES MIDDLE SCHOOL**

— **08.3.2**

**161 cm Kihyun starts middle school**

— **06.12.23**

**157 cm sledding slope on his own**

— **02.03.02**

**139 cm KIHYUN STARTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL**

Even though this _Kihyun_ was obviously older than a high school student, the marks in messy handwriting didn’t write anything else after 2012.

He finally walks out to where his supervisor is, and before he can say anything, the elder man speaks.

“Thanks for helping out on such short notice, Changkyun. I called your mom as soon as my guy told me he couldn’t make it, but I wasn’t sure you’d have the time.” Says the man as he pats his shoulder.

He was a constant regular at his mom’s restaurant, and he had heard them talk once about Changkyun looking for part-time jobs, so he called them from time to time to ask the younger to help with the movings in return for some cash.

“It was nothing.” He answers, smiling. “Hey, but since the government already auction the house, why hasn’t it been clear out?”

“The owner probably ignored the eviction notice.” The man answers, pointing at one of the windows. _Kihyun_ could be seen through it, placing folded clothes into a suitcase. “Many people do that.”

The man walks away to continue working, but Changkyun can’t help but stare one last time at the angry-looking brunet.

* * *

By the time he arrives to Minhyuk’s house, Hoseok feels more than ready to throw the heels away.

He rings the bell many times, but receives no answer.

“Hey, Minhyuk-ah!” He rings a few more times. “Minhyuk! Lee Minhyuk!”

He didn’t run across the city in a dress and heels, avoiding either people screaming at him or cat calling him, to be left outside during nighttime.

“Lee Minhyuk!” He keeps screaming as he knocks at the metal gate intently. “… Damn it.”

He walks to house in front of Minhyuk and sites in the gravel steps before their door, since he’d have to wait, he’d rather do it sitting. He stays there for a few minutes, when a tall, pink-haired guy wearing a tracksuit and carrying a hiking backpack gets in front of Minhyuk’s gate and starts ringing the bell.

_Good luck with that._

“Minhyuk! Lee Minhyuk!” The taller one keeps ringing. “It’s me! Hyungwon!”

_Who’s Hyungwon? Minhyuk has never mentioned a Hyungwon._

“Who are you?” Hoseok asks as he approaches him. The other stares him up and down.

“I’m looking for Lee Minhyuk. Doesn’t he live here?” The other asks, confused.

“He does, but who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Minhyuk’s” He states.

“What? I’m a friend of his too.” He gives the other a kind smile, however he can’t help but notice how Hyungwon keeps staring at his clothing.

He had honestly forgotten he still had that dress on.

“Oh, this?” Hoseok looks down. “I’m in a bit of a sticky situation, you see.”

Hyungwon takes a few steps back, and when Hoseok is about to step forward and explain himself, they both can hear the sound of something being wheeled down the street.

* * *

It took Kihyun the rest of the afternoon to walk with the biggest suitcase they had in his home, or what was his home, even thought it was only a few blocks again. He blamed it on the suitcase.

(Okay, he might’ve taken a detour to cry in an empty alley, but nobody could prove it, and even if they could, he’d deny it.)

So, by the time he arrives, still sobbing, he’s tired, his hair is a mess, and his make-up got smushed. The last thing he expected, was to find Hoseok in a dress and a pink haired stranger in a tracksuit.

Hoseok actually squints at him, as if he didn’t recognize him.

“Yoo Kihyun?”

Kihyun tries to wipe the runny mascara off his cheeks, trying to look less like a panda. He really should think of investing in a waterproof one.

“Shin Hoseok, what the hell are you wearing? That doesn’t even fit you.” He asks back, drifting the attention away from himself,

He was right. Given it was a woman’s dress with Hoseok’s height made the edge of the dress stop at his middle thighs, showing his muscled legs; the upper part of the dress looked like it was about to rip off, too.

“What about you?” Hoseok asks as he tries to pull the dress down. “What happened to you?”

Kihyun tries to fix his hair. The tall stranger only looks at them.

“Do you all have business here?” They all turn towards the husky voice.

The same guy who was at his room that afternoon stands there, now dressed in a button shirt instead of the vest he was wearing in the afternoon. Unlike Kihyun, he looked better than before.

In the morning he only had to worry about Hyunwoo trying to get him to meet the mysterious _Mr. Last Love_ , still insisting no matter how many times he said now. Now he’s here, homeless, in the middle of the street looking like a mess.

And even though there’s a stranger besides him, who’s hair and height demanded attention in their own, and a ripped man in a dress, still the handsome, well dressed stranger was only staring at him intently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was this chapter, I hope I'll be able to update again by the end of the week.  
> Don't forget to leave a comment, I'd like to know what you think about this so far.
> 
> Twitter: @itsamonbebe  
> Tumblr: @carodrug


	4. iv. emergency!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Minhyuk's date ends sooner than expected, and Changkyun makes a promise.

Minhyuk has pastel colored cups. Truthfully, he has many cups, all different. But the pastel colored cups are the ones that Kihyun loves the most, so whenever he was over, Minhyuk always have him drinks in the pastel colored ones. If he were to pick one, he’d say his favorite was the pastel yellow one.

It was a coincidence the handsome stranger put said cup in front of him.

After the tall pink-haired man, _Hyungwon_ , told him they were all actually Minhyuk’s friends and that they all coincidentally were visiting at the same time, the stranger warily pulled out a copy of the keys and let them in.

He also told them to wait in the living room while he made them tea.

Kihyun can actually feel him staring as he places the yellow one, but the brunet doesn’t lift his gaze, staring intently at the cup.

Eventually, after what feels like an eternity to Kihyun but was most likely only a few seconds, the stranger looks away as he places two other cups on the coffee table.

“Thanks for the tea.” Says Hyungwon as he unzips his green jacket, revealing a button up and a designer suit vest. Hoseok gasps as the taller man sitting besides him reached for the cup.

“Do you wear that ensemble often?” Kihyun says, staring from where he chose to sit on the floor, in front of the loveseat besides the bigger couch, where the other two are sitting.

“Well,” The pink-haired chuckles awkwardly and grabs at the green pants he still has on. “I needed this today to take care of some personal matters.”

Kihyun nods, unconvinced. Hoseok chooses that moment to get the attention back towards him.

“You’re pretty much a wreck too, Yoo Kihyun.” He says, staring at his face.

Kihyun looks away and before he can answer, the stranger talks.

“What’s with the luggage?” He asks from where he sits on the squared ottoman from the other side of the coffee table, in front of Kihyun. The brunet immediately turns back, but he sees the stranger nodding towards Hyungwon’s hiking backpack.

Hyungwon shrugs and looks away.

“Personal reasons.”

“By the way, where the heck is the owner of this house?” Hoseok lifts his arms to stretch, but puts them back down immediately after hearing the sleeves begin to tear.

“Oh, right.” Kihyun says, suddenly remembering. “Come to think of it, Minhyuk was going on a blind date today.”

“What?” Hoseok asks surprised, and Hyungwon returns his gaze back to Kihyun.

The stranger looks at him once more and lifts his eyebrow, as if surprised he had that knowledge.

* * *

He decided he would arrive thirty minutes earlier than what they agreed upon, to make a good impression.

Minhyuk ruffles his honey blond locks to get rid of helmet hair as he enters the café they were supposed to meet, and started to look for a free table. However, he stops when he sees the jacket.

_Damn, I was supposed to get here first._

On one of the tables besides the big windows facing the street, there was a light blond man, with his back towards Minhyuk, who was working on a computer. That wouldn’t have been important on any scenario, if it wasn’t for the fact that the same man had the blue Hansung University letterman jacket. The one his date texted him he’d be wearing so Minhyuk could recognize him.

Before he can approach the table, he can feel his phone buzzing on his pocket. He takes it out and barely looks at the name before declining the call.

“Excuse me.” He says once he is beside the table. The other, however, pays him no attention as he continues typing. “Are you Kim Joonho?”

The man turns to him, looks him up and down, and then sits up straighter.

“Are you?” Minhyuk asks again with a nervous smile.

“Yes.” The man answers slowly.

Minhyuk exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I meant to come earlier than you.” He beams as he sits down in front of his date. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”

“That’s okay, don’t worry.” Joonho gives him back a dimpled smile.

“You’re really stunning.” Minhyuk says, looking at the other admiringly. “I’m not actually a fan of blind dates because I always find it awkward and all, but I’m sure I would’ve regretted it if I didn’t come here today.”

Joonho looks thoughtful for a few seconds, but he still gives him a small smile, and that’s enough encouragement for Minhyuk to keep talking.

“I didn’t even want to see the picture Jeonghan sent me, I trust him and I wanted to be surprised.” He says excitedly. “I’m glad I didn’t, though. A picture would’ve been nowhere close to what you look in real life.”

“Are you usually that straightforward?” Joonho asks as he smiles shyly.

“Me?” Minhyuk looks away for a second and then looks back at his date. “I guess you could say that. Why? Does it bother you?”

“No, just asking.” The other answers, shrugging.

Minhyuk notices then, that besides the laptop Joonho was working with, there’s also a glass filled with a pink beverage, probably a milkshake, and a camera.

“Oh, did you order something already?” Joonho looks at the glass. “Gosh, I feel terrible about this. Let’s head to the place I reserved once you’re done, I’ll pay for your drink to make up for making you wait”

He stands up and starts to walk away, only to remember something and come back.

“Almost forgot. I’m Lee Minhyuk, nice to finally meet you.” He gives Joonho a small bow and then walks to the counter.

* * *

“ _The person you’re calling it’s not available_ —“

Kihyun hangs up.

“He’s not picking up?” Asks the stranger.

“No.” He answers as he lowers his phone. Hoseok sighs, a proud smile on his face.

“Good. It’s basic courtesy not to pick up your calls on a date.”

Hyungwon gives a small nod before turning his attention back to his cup.

They are all silent for a moment.

“Since we’re waiting for him, how about we talk about how we know Minhyuk?” Kihyun suggests, trying to fill the silence.

He waits a few seconds, and since no one says anything, he speaks up again.

“Minhyuk and I went to the same elementary school.” He nods towards Hyungwon. “What about you?”

The pink-haired man beams.

“We took private lessons when we were really young. Our parents know each other, so we used to attend each other’s family events.”

“Did you have many family events growing up?” Hoseok asks, interested.

Hyungwon nods with a smile.

“I see.” Hoseok nods in return and then turns to the stranger. “Who are you, by the way? I’ve never seen you before.”

The stranger turns to Kihyun as he stands up.

“I’ll try his phone again.” He walks away.

* * *

Minhyuk is just giving the barista his card to pay for Joonho’s order when his phone starts ringing again. He pulls it out of his pocket, annoyed.

**KKUKKUNGIE**

_Why am I receiving so many calls right now?_ , he thinks as he picks up.

“I’m in the middle of something important, so—”

“Come home now.” Changkyun interrupts him.

The honey blond stays quiet for a few seconds, confused.

“What?”

“When I got here to pick up the books I lend you last week, there were people outside claiming to be your friends.”

“People? Who are they?” He asks even more confused.

* * *

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen them before.” Changkyun answers as he looks for his own books in Minhyuk’s desk.

He got into the other’s room before making the call, mainly so the others wouldn’t hear him, and if the asked anything about it, he’d just use the books as an excuse.

While looking in the mess ( _Minhyuk should really pick up his things_ ), he came across some framed photographs. Minhyuk was in them with a bunch of other people, all in uniform, probably classmates. However, one of the people in the photos was familiar.

“Is Yoo Kihyun the friend you always talk about?” He asks as he picks up one of the frames, looking closely at the shortest guy. The same short guy that was in the living room.

“Yoo Kihyun? Is he there, too?”

“Yes. He seems to have some personal issues.” He puts back the frame, still looking at all the other photos.

“What is it? Did something happen? Is he okay?” Minhyuk’s alarmed voice questions over the phone.

Before he can answer back, the door slowly opens, revealing the same guy they were talking about.

“I don’t know the details.” Changkyun says as he looks away from Kihyun. “You should get over here and talk to them.”

He hangs up.

* * *

“Hello? Changkyun?” He sighs as he puts back his phone.

_Yoo Kihyun. What a pain._

Minhyuk turns to Joonho, still working on his laptop.

 _Why now of all times?,_ he thinks as he heads towards his date.

“Listen.” He says quietly as he sits in front of Joonho. Joonho looks up. “I’m really sorry, but I’m afraid I have to go. Something urgent came up at home.”

Joonho nods.

“That’s all right. You can go.” The blond answers.

“I’m really not the kind of guy who bails on someone.” Minhyuk whines.

“It’s not like we have much control over urgent matters anyway.” Joonho turns his gaze back to the screen.

“Thanks for thinking that way, but still…” He stops himself once he notices the professional camera besides the laptop. How didn’t he notice it until then? “Are you into photography?”

Joonho looks at his camera and then back to Minhyuk.

“I’m more into films.”

“Really? I love filmmaking. It’s been my hobby ever since I was a kid.” Minhyuk smiles as he leans forward. “We have so much in common.”

“It seems that way.” Joonho smiles back.

Minhyuk remembers the call and sighs.

“Can I see you again tomorrow?” He asks.

Joonho looks him up and down with a smile.

“I’m not so sure.”

“Please. I really like you.” Minhyuk pleads. “I know I messed up our first meeting, but if you give me another chance, I’ll make it up to you.”

Joonho chuckles before nodding.

“Fine.” The blond says with a smile. “Shouldn’t you go, though? You said it was urgent.”

“Right.” He says as he stands up. “I’ll call you later. You have to pick up, okay.”

Joonho nods again.

“I’m truly sorry about today” Minhyuk says, walking backwards and hitting a chair. Joonho smiles. “I’ll see you again. We have to meet up again.”

Then, he runs out of the café.

* * *

“You’re the guy from earlier, right?” The brunet asks Changkyun as he steps closer, door already closed again. “You were moving things at my house during the afternoon.”

Changkyun nods, not looking him in the eyes. The other sighs.

“Then, I guess you know that my family went bankrupt.” Kihyun says, resigned.

The black-haired one nods again.

“Are you… Im Changkyun, by any chance?” Kihyun asks again.

Changkyun looks up.

“Do you know me?” He asks, surprised.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Minhyuk. And from what he’s told me, he’s only given a key to someone else besides me, so I guessed it when you pulled out yours.” The other pulls out a set of keys from his pockets, one of them probably belonging to Minhyuk’s house. “He said his dad and yours were friends, and that you go to the same school. And knowing how talkative Minhyuk is, you probably know about me too.”

“A bit, I guess.” Changkyun looks away again for a moment, remembering how their tall friend mentions Kihyun’s name at least once every day.

“Can I ask you a favor?” Now Kihyun is the one avoiding eye contact. “Can you keep it a secret from him? About my personal issue.”

Changkyun raises his eyebrows.

“Since he and I are old friends, I don’t want him to hear the news from other people.”

“Okay.” He accepts, nodding repeatedly.

Kihyun smiles, and he smiles back.

“I think you might want to take a look at the mirror.” He says, teasing.

“The mirror?” The brunet asks before heading to the body mirror in the corner of the room.

He inhales as he notices the smudged make up.

“What’s this?” He asks frowning at the mirror, then turns back to Changkyun. “How long has it been like this?”

The other runs out of the room, heading for the bathroom and making Changkyun chuckle.


	5. v. i need a room, and you have many

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyuk should learn how to say “no”. And it seems whatever he does, people just somehow won't listen to Kihyun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've had a busy couple of weeks, therefore I've had some trouble updating. But here's chapter five :)
> 
> Hope you like it, please leave a comment telling me what you think. Hopefully the next chapter is up soon.

When Kihyun walks out of the bathroom, face now without make up, Hoseok and Hyungwon are sitting in the dinning table placed in the kitchen, and they tell him the _stranger_ , Changkyun, just left after grabbing some books.

Before Kihyun can respond, the front door opens, showing a worried Lee Minhyuk.

“Minhyuk!” Kihyun says smiling.

“Hey.” The blond responds, and then from the kitchen two different voices shout.

“Minhyuk!” The short one can hear steps behind him, probably the others walking out of the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” Minhyuk frowns, looking at the three of them confused. “Why are you all here?”

Minhyuk looks Hoseok up and down.

“What are you even wearing?”

“I was kicked out of my home like this.” Hoseok answers, grabbing the ends of the dress to pull it downwards. “I had to grab my mom’s heels and—”

“Chae Hyungwon, is that you?” Minhyuk interrupts, looking at the tall, pink-haired man. “What are you doing here? How did you even find my place?”

“Didn’t you get any of my letters?” Hyungwon frowns.

“Letters? What letters?” Minhyuk looks confused.

“Didn't you chek your mailbo—”

“Wait.” Minhyuk interrupts once again and goes to stand in front of Kihyun. “Are you okay? Did anything happen?”

“Well, sort of.” Kihyun grimaces. “I’ll tell you after they leave—”

“Leave?!” Hoseok asks loudly, looking at Kihyun. “Who said I’m leaving? I’m staying right here.”

“What?” Kihyun frowns.

“Minhyuk-ah, I have a problem.” Hyungwon joins the conversation, speaking rapidly. “You and I are friends, right? Please do me a favor as a friend.”

“What do you mean you’re staying here?” Kihyun asks Hoseok, frown still present.

“Who are you to tell me when to leave?”

“Stop talking, and sit down, all of you! I can barely hear my thoughts.” Minhyuk shouts, making them all stop talking

So now, the three of them are back to the couch while Minhyuk paces around the living room.

“Do you think my house is a motel or something?” He asks, looking between Hoseok and Hyungwon. “You come here unannounced and expect me to let you stay?”

“Well, that’s not exactly how I would put it—” Hoseok mumbles from one end of the couch.

“Haven’t I told you many times since I got my own place? I don’t mind you coming over as long as you don’t crash here.” Minhyuk stands in front of Hoseok. “Chae Hyungwon.”

Hyungwon looks up from the other end of the couch.

“Do your parents know you’re here?”

“The thing is—” Hyungwon smiles sheepishly.

“You know what? Forget it.” Minhyuk doesn’t let him finish and turns around, avoiding them. “Hearing you out will only make me pity you.”

The blond sighs and then turns around.

“Look. I’m going to wash up right now.” Minhyuk points at Hoseok and Hyungwon. “I want you both out of this place by the time I’m done.”

The others stand up, leaving Kihyun sitting awkwardly in the middle of the couch while hugging a cushion.

“Come on, Minhyuk-ah. Hey.” Hoseok goes after him.

The sound of a phone ringing makes them all stop, and stare at where the sound is coming from. _Hyungwon._

The man stares at his screen with an anxious frown. From where Kihyun is sitting, he can see who is at the other end of the call.

**MOTHER**

Hyungwon stares at it for a few seconds before dropping it on the floor. The others stare at the phone while it continues to ring.

“Shouldn’t you pick up?” Minhyuk asks before walking to pick it up.

“Don’t!” Hyungwon screams, making them all jump.

The pink-haired man looks around for a few seconds, before running back to the kitchen. When he walks out, he’s holding a metal rolling pin.

“Hey, wait a— Woah!" Hoseok tries to approach him but then Hyungwon grabs it by one end and raises it over his head, making the others flinch.

Hyungwon slams the rolling pin continuously against the phone, parts of it now scattered around the living room.

“You…” Hoseok points at the remains of his phone, smiling. “That was so cool.”

“Are you crazy?” Kihyun asks, concerned. “do you know how expensive that was?”

“Minhyuk.” Hyungwon turns to the blond, making him jump.

“Yes?”

“Can I live here?” Hoseok smiles falls off his face. “Just for the time being.”

“Wait.” Kihyun says.

“That’s enough.” Hoseok speaks up at the same time.

“What are you talking about?” Minhyuk asks, confused.

“I’m asking if I can live at your place.”

“I was just about to ask him that same question.” Hoseok confesses.

Kihyun frowns and hugs the cushion tighter.

“Wait, but I—”

“Look, stop talking nonsense.” Minhyuk says to the other two, unintentionally interrupting Kihyun. “You come to my house randomly asking to live with me. That’s just crazy, I don’t even know what’s going on here.”

Hoseok stands in front of Minhyuk.

“You remember that day, don’t you?” He asks, looking directly at the blond. “The day I quit medical school to become a musical actor. My dad has been treating me like crap ever since that day. Today I even got kicked out of my home looking like this. And I finally realized my parents will never acknowledge me…”

He pauses when a sob escapes his lips, and wipes the unwanted tears in his eyes with the back of his hands

“…They won’t ever talk to me unless I prove them wrong and become extremely successful.”

“Hoseok, I—”

“All I need is just one room.” Hoseok interrupts Minhyuk and steps closer. “I hope you can be able to help me. You’ve got plenty of space, and I just need one room. Please, help me.”

“But this is too sudden—” Minhyuk takes a few steps away, walking back into the living room.

“I was going to tell you privately, but—” Kihyun stands up to speak, but he is interrupted once again.

“I have nowhere else to go!” Hyungwon shouts besides him.

“What?” Kihyun looks at him, frowning.

“I left home, too.” Hyungwon continues, and Kihyun can see Hoseok grimacing behind Minhyuk. “I just needed to get away from my mom. But the only person I could think of was you, Minhyuk. That’s why I came here.”

“So, you two are basically saying that you came to my place to live here indefinitely?” Minhyuk asks, concerned.

“If you turn me away, I’m going to die!” Hoseok shouts and takes the dress off, confusing everyone until he turns around, showing them the marks on his back, making them all gasp. “My dad is going to beat the life out of me if I show up.”

He walks closer to Minhyuk.

“I’m not saying I’ll stay here forever, just until I pass my audition and start making money. That’s all. Please, Minhyuk!” Hoseok pleads.

Minhyuk looks overwhelmed.

* * *

A woman, dressed in very expensive clothes, stands by a big window, from where the whole city can be seen. There’s a piece of folded paper in her hands.

She is old, not enough to be an elder but not young either, and she still looks beautiful, if she were younger people would probably confuse her for a model. It was said constantly that her son had inherited his good looks from her.

> **I’ll stay at a friend’s house. Don’t worry too much.**

“At his friend’s house?” The woman asks after almost half an hour of silence, which she spent reading the letter in her hands over and over again. “But he doesn’t have any friends. How could he have done something this crazy?”

She turns around, facing her two employees standing behind her, both of their gazes on the floor.

“It appears he planned everything from the beginning.” Says her son’s assistant, the bodyguard besides her remaining silence. “The boxes of hair dye we found in the bathroom must’ve been in his suitcase, and the surveillance cameras on the airport show him walking out of the bathroom in a completely different attire.”

“And where were you while Wonnie had been going through with his plan?” The woman asks, outraged. The two remain silenced. “He doesn’t have a single friend. The contacts in his phone are synced with my device, if he did, I would’ve known, I’m certain of that!”

The assistant and the bodyguard glance at each other, an uncomfortable expression in their faces at hearing the woman’s controlling habits. She’s turned her back again, staring through the window with a concerned look.

“What if he’s been enticed by a con artist? If that’s the case I don’t even want to think what they could be doing to him right now.”

The woman begins hyperventilating, alerting the assistant.

“Are you okay, ma’am? Shall I get you some anxiety pills?” She offers.

“Don’t bother!” The elder woman screams at her, her breathing more controlled.

The employees lower their heads again, and after a few seconds of the woman trying to regain her breath, she speaks up again.

“You must do everything you can to find him. He’s the sole heir of my family. If Hyungwon disappears, the whole family legacy goes with him!” She holds the letter in her hands so strongly it wrinkles. “The chairman is currently on a business trip in the U.K., but the day he finds out about this both of you will be in huge trouble.”

A threatening look takes over the woman’s features.

“So, you better find my son, before my husband does.”

* * *

Some hours later, Minhyuk is sitting on a bench in his terrace, a bunch of letters scattered across the coffee table in front of him.

“The only place I can think to escape to is with you, Minhyuk.” He reads the last part of letter in his hands, before he throws it at the table where the rest are.

 _How could he even think of leaving home without a proper plan first?_ Minhyuk asks himself as he passes his hands through his hair.

That’s how Kihyun finds him when he walks up the stairs to the terrace.

The terrace had always been the brunet’s favorite place in Minhyuk’s house. It was surrounded by a wooden fence that had big round fairy lights on top of it, and four wood columns supported a glass ceiling. Besides the bench, coffee table and some colorful, round stools, the place was also filled with different small plants, making it look really cozy.

Kihyun stands at the top of the stairs a few seconds, gathering courage.

He looks down at the two beer cans in his hands.

 _You can do it, Kihyun. You’ve known each other for twenty years, if he let the other two stay, there’s no way he’ll say no._ He sighs and finally steps closer to his best friend, smiling.

Kihyun pushes the letters to the side and sits on top of the coffee table, right in front of Minhyuk.

Kihyun takes his hands away and looks at Kihyun, surprised.

“Hey.” The blond leans forward. “Where are the rest?”

“Hyungwon is sleeping in the guest room, and Hoseok was making the bed in the room you use as a closet.”

“In my closet?” He widens his eyes and stands up. “This won’t work, he’s going to mess up my system, I should go and—"

Kihyun steps on his way, making him stop before even gave a few steps.

“You need to calm down, and sit down for little.”

“I should—”

“Just sit.” Kihyun pushes him to sit back down on the bench, and offers one of the beers in his hands. “It’s too late to be worrying about these things. Here, drink this.”

Minhyuk looks skeptical, but the brunet just smiles and nods towards the can.

Finally, the blond grabs it and opens the can, taking a big sip. He sighs, and then looks back at Kihyun, who is still smiling.

“Why are you here though?” Minhyuk asks with a concerned tone.

“Me?” Kihyun’s smile falters for a second. “Oh, that’s because…”

Kihyun looks around and then gasps, walking towards one of the closest plants.

“Minhyuk, look. They’re withering away.” He looks at the plant, moving around some of its branches. “The leaves have turned all yellow. Don’t you water them at all?”

“Why are you suddenly concerned about the plants?” Minhyuk looks confused.

“You know, this house is quite big for just you.” Kihyun walks around, stopping in front of another plant. “Plus, you’re not the type to tidy up the house. Think about how nice it would be to have someone who takes care of the house, the garden and the rooftop.”

He walks back to the blond with a sheepish smile.

“I’m getting a weird vibe about this.” Minhyuk frowns. “You’re not implying you’re staying here too, are you?”

“Well, I—”

“I get it.” Minhyuk nods to himself, then leans back on the bench.

“What?” Kihyun looks confused.

“You fought with your mom again, didn’t you?” The blond points his finger at him with the hand holding the beer can. “It’s written all over your face.”

Kihyun gives him a sad smile.

“Well, it’s actually more than that, I—”

“Go back home.” Minhyuk stands up and heads towards the stairs, giving his back to Kihyun. “You shouldn’t act so stubborn and stay here while your mom is probably worrying about you at home.”

Kihyun’s smile falls off his face.

“The thing is,” He tries once again. “it’s not a good time for me to go back to the house becau—”

“Honestly, I think I would’ve gone insane if you said you were also moving in.” Minhyuk turns with a smile and takes another sip of the can.

“I see.” Kihyun sighs and looks away with a defeated expression which, unfortunately, Minhyuk doesn’t see

“I mean, not just one, but two people?” Minhyuk sighs and leans against the fence, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

“Why do I suck at saying no?” Kihyun ignores him as he opens up his own can and takes a big drink. “I think I’m naturally a man of goodwill. I may seem a bit cold at times, but I have a warm disposition.”

Kihyun nods.

“You’re good at blowing your own horn, too.”

Minhyuk smiles and turns to the stairs.

“I’ll go wash up now. You better head home before it gets darker.” He says as he starts walking down. “Don’t waste more time here.”

“Fine. I’ll leave.” He sighs again, staring at the distance.

_So much for being best friends, right?_


	6. vi. everybody is looking for something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyuk looks for his date, Kihyun deals with life and unpleasant people, and maybe one pleasant person.

**hey! it’s minhyuk «**

**did you get home safely? «**

**what time should we meet tomorrow? «**

**i’ll pick you up if you want** **(** **●** **^** **ｖ** **^** **●** **)** **«**

 **[blind date joonho (** **／** **≧** **ω** **＼** **)]**

**» what are you talking about?**

**» why would i want to meet up with a guy who already stood me up once?!**

**» look, i don’t really care**

**» but you shouldn’t pull things like that on the first date, you asshole**

**» don’t contact me again**

**[ YOU CAN NO LONGER SEND MESSAGES TO THIS NUMBER ]**

* * *

“Can you explain what this is about?” Asks a confused Minhyuk as he shows in the messages from last night.

Jeonghan, who’s calmly sitting on the bleachers in front of the basketball court, squints for a few seconds at the text and then returns his gaze back to his boyfriend, Seungcheol, who just scored a two pointer.

“Well, the texts are pretty explanatory. Why did you stand him up?” The long-haired one asks as he claps, staring at his boyfriend with a smile.

“I didn’t stand him up! I swear I met him yesterday.” Minhyuk immediately responds, clapping as well. “But why is he doing this? He won’t answer my calls.”

Jeonghan shrugs. Then pulls his phone out of his pocket and after tapping on it a few times, he turns it to the blond.

“Was this who you met yesterday?” In Jeonghan’s phone there’s a picture of a guy, and although he’s handsome, he isn’t the good-looking man Minhyuk talked with the night before.

“No, that’s not him.” He frowns, confused.

“That’s Kim Joonho.” Jeonghan puts down his phone and looks back to the court. “Did you even ask whoever you met yesterday for his name?”

“I did, he said _he_ was Kim Joonho!” He defends himself.

Jeonghan chuckles.

“This is what you get for being stubborn and not wanting to look at his picture.”

Minhyuk sighs. When he turns to the court, the players are heading backwards to pick up their things at the bleachers, all talking and laughing between them. The game ended and the blond didn’t even know who won, but by the smile on Seungcheol he can only guess.

When Jeonghan gets a water bottle from his backpack and stands up to hand it to his boyfriend, Minhyuk decides it’s time to say goodbye and leave before the couple starts a celebratory make out in front of him.

It’s as he walks away from the basketball court, brooding, when Changkyun pops out from somewhere and starts walking besides him.

“Hi.” Minhyuk greets, still frowning at his phone. “What’s up?”

“Hey.” Changkyun greets back with a smile. “So, what happened to your friends last night?”

“Don’t get me started.” The blond sighs and puts his phone back in his pocket. “They kept refusing to leave, so I ended up letting them stay at my place.”

Changkyun raises his eyebrows.

“All three of them?”

“No. Kihyun went home.” Minhyuk shakes his head softly, looking at the distance. And because he’s looking away, he doesn’t notice the concerned look that takes over Changkyun’s features.

* * *

It’s early in the morning, when the sun is barely out, that Kihyun walks out of Mrs. Choi’s house. He ended up knocking on her door after his futile conversation with Minhyuk, and, although embarrassed, he explained the situation to the elderly woman, who offered him to sleep in what was once her son’s bedroom. She offered him her shower and even insisted on feeding him breakfast before he left.

Even though the kind woman told him he could stay for however long he needed to, Kihyun decided to leave that morning along with his suitcase, not wanting to impose on her. She did make him promise to comeback if he needed to.

He only walked a few steps away from her front gate, when he stops, looking at what used to be his own house. His hand leaves the handle of the suitcase as he walks forward, and stands in front of his own gate.

He sighs as he looks at the wooden plate hanging besides the door.

**YOO JEONGHUN**

“I almost forgot about you, Dad.” He walks up to it and grabs it so he can take it with him. However, as he is pulling it down, the door opens abruptly, making him fall down on his butt along with the sign.

Out of the door comes a blond guy dressed in designer clothes, looking confused.

“What are you doing?” The other asks him. Kihyun stands up hurriedly and dusts off the plate on his hand.

“I forgot to take a nameplate with me.”

“A nameplate?” The stranger frowns, even more confused.

“This one.” Kihyun answers with a smile while turning the plate towards the stranger. The blond man leans forward to read it. “It’s my dad’s.”

“Ah.” The stranger nods, no longer confused. “You’re the guy who used to live here.”

Kihyun nods.

“My mom told me about the situation.” The stranger adjusts the strap of his designer backpack on his shoulder, then nods towards the door. “Are you here to collect your things?”

Kihyun’s smile becomes an apologetic one.

“Not yet. I still have to settle a few things first, but I’ll make sure to move them soon.”

Kihyun grabs his suitcase with his free hand, ready to leave, but the other’s exasperated sigh makes him turn back.

“I get that you lived here for many years and that you’re in a difficult situation right now, but you still should be more considerate.”

Kihyun’s smile is replaced with a frown.

“Pardon?”

“We moved into this new house hoping for a fresh start, but my room is filled with someone else’s belongings. How do you think that would make you feel? A bit uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?” The stranger takes a step closer to Kihyun, a fake smile on his face. “Let’s be more considerate of each other, shall we?”

“I’m sorry to hear that it’s uncomfortable for you,” Kihyun forces a smile on his face. “but I was thrown out of this house overnight, so it’s been very chaotic. I’ll clear my things as soon as possible. Thanks for your understanding.”

He grabs his backpack and turns around, walking towards his usual route to university. After a few seconds, he hears steps behind him and then the blond stranger walks past him towards the same direction he’s heading.

Kihyun stops and sees the stranger get further ahead.

 _What the hell is your problem?_ He frowns again.

* * *

He’s sitting in a classroom, suitcase besides him, staring at a notebook in front of him. Kihyun arrived half an hour before his class is supposed to take place, so the room is empty beside a few other people who are either sleeping or on their phones.

The notebook in the desk is where he writes whatever he needs to remember, either his schedule for class and work or just random things he needs to buy or do. At the moment it’s open in two pages he just wrote in, two short lists on them.

On the left:

**THINGS I HAVE**

**1\. My body**   
**2\. My dreams**

And on the right:

**THINGS I DON’T HAVE**

**1\. Mom**   
**2\. House**   
**3\. Money**

His phone lights up on his desk, a notification for a new message showing on the screen.

**[1599-2000]**

**» The Korean Scholarship Foundation payment date is September 10 th.**

Kihyun lets out a relieved sight and grabs his pen.

**THINGS I DON’T HAVE**

**1\. Mom**   
**2\. House**   
**~~3\. Money~~ **

Kihyun thinks it over a few seconds before grabbing the pen once again, and adding one more item to the first list.

**THINGS I HAVE**

**1\. My body**   
**2\. My dreams  
3\. Lee Minhyuk**

* * *

_“So, you’ve never had any feelings for Minhyuk? Not even once?” Asks the short one again._

_Kihyun looks outside the window for a few seconds._

_“No.”_

_“Really?” Asks the short girl, excitedly._

_“He’s sweet, and charming, and really kind.” Kihyun lists with a smile. “But he’s not really my type.”_

_“I don’t believe you! There’s definitely something between you two.” One of the girls insists._

_“Well…” Kihyun starts, looking out the window and crossing his arms. “There was a time when I almost did have a crush on him.”_

_The girls lean forward, clearly interested._

_“When was that?” Asks the short one, almost worriedly._

_“Back in 9 th grade.” He smiles. “Minhyuk had always been shorter than me, but he suddenly started growing ‘till he was a good ten centimeters taller. He started growing into his features too back then, so I have to admit it did make me feel something seeing him in a different way than before.”_

_The girls giggle, remembering how Minhyuk started gathering the attention of many back then._

_“And then?” One asks._

_“It got to the point where I actually got nervous to see him, and I decided I didn’t want to feel nervous around my best friend, so I chose to drop it.”_

_The girls start whining._

_“But how can you control your feelings like that?”_

_“You can’t just decide to stop your crush on someone!”_

_“That doesn’t count as liking him.”_

_“Which is why I said_ almost _.” He chuckles, amused with their complains. “I still care a lot for him, but those romantic feelings are all in the past now.”_

_The girls act like they don’t believe him, but they let him continue cleaning the classroom in peace, unaware someone else had listened to part of the conversation._

* * *

**[Hyunwoo-hyung** **ʕ** **•** **ᴥ** **•** **ʔ** **]**

 **» Hey Kihyun!  
» I remembered you said you were looking for another part time.  
» I was in the uni’s library today, and I saw in an ad on the entrance they were looking for a part timer.  
** **» You should check it.**

* * *

“I’m certain he’s a student here.” Minhyuk whines, again, to Changkyun, still set on finding the man he met with last night.

“Forget about him already. It’s weird that you mistook him for someone else, but the fact that he played along is weirder.”

They both walk towards the library (one of Changkyun’s part time jobs), orange leaves scattered on the side of the path they’re taking. The campus is filled with prunus trees, so they’re always a side to see during autumn, or during spring, when they began to grow flowers.

“He was wearing the same type of letterman jacket Jeonghan stole from Seungcheol, I’m sure he goes here, he must be somewhere around here. I just have to find him.” The blond continues, ignoring Changkyun’s concerns.

The other snorts.

“So, what? Are you gonna look for him around the whole campus?”

“Well, he said he was into filmmaking. He even had one of those high-end cameras…” Minhyuk stops walking and grabs Changkyun’s arm, making him stop as well. “Is there a Film Studies major in our school?”

“Why?” Changkyun’s eyes widen. “Are you really going to look for him?”

“Look, I’ve finally met a guy I like after a long time. So yeah, even though our first encounter was a little weird, I’m going to find him.” He let go and stated walking away, only to turn back a few seconds later.

“So, do you know which building Film Studies majors take classes at?”

* * *

Changkyun enters the university’s library a few minutes after Minhyuk takes off to look for his mystery date man. He didn’t see the paper add they put on the entrance at the beginning of the week, so he assumes a new part-timer finally has been hired.

His suspicions are confirmed once he gets closer to the circulation desk. He sees Lee Jieun, a senior majoring in Economics who is in charge of helping the librarian manage the students working there, talking to a familiar brunet.

“Are available on Tuesday after your 11 a.m. lecture?” Jieun holds a clipboard in her hands, writing on it while taking to Yoo Kihyun without lifting her eyes.

“Yes.” Kihyun nods with a warm smart.

“Okay, then on Wednesdays…” Jieun continues, but Changkyun is too focused on Kihyun’s smile to make up what she’s saying.

Kihyun nods once again, and then, as if feeling Changkyun’s gaze, looks briefly towards him. The brunet quickly turns his attention back to Jieun as she asks another question, and Changkyun, thinking he probably has been staring longer than what’s socially acceptable before being consider a creep, finally goes behind the circulation desk and puts his bag down.

Just before he can do anything more, he hears a feminine voice call his name.

“Changkyun-ssi!” Jieun walks towards him, Kihyun following after her. The clipboard she was holding before gone, as she was carrying instead a backpack on her shoulders and some books on her hands. “I need to leave now, otherwise I’ll be really late for my lecture. Do you mind showing the new part-timer how to send the overdue notices? His name is—”

“Yoo Kihyun.” Changkyun finishes, looking at the other man.

“Ah, great! You know each other.” Jieun looks at the clock on the wall behind the desk, then looks at Changkyun with a panicked look as she starts to walk around the desk, walking backwards to the exit. “So, can you…?”

Changkyun nods once and Jieun beams.

“Thank you so much!” She shouts before walking as fast as she can out of the building without having the librarian scold her for running inside.

Changkyun walks to one of the computers on the desk, closing the opened programs to show the other the desktop.

“You can send the overdue notices through these computers.” Kihyun walks closer and Changkyun hands him the mouse, then points with his index at one of the files. “You just have to copy and paste the template on this file, and then fill the blank spaces. Try it.”

Kihyun begins to do as instructed. After a few seconds of silence, Changkyun speaks up again.

“Where did you spend the night yesterday?” Kihyun stops typing to look at him. “I know we are not close enough for me to be asking you that, but it’s to ignore it now that I know of your situation.”

Kihyun turns his attention back to the computer and resumes typing.

“It’s a big city with tons of places I could go to if I wanted. Like this?” He points to the computer, the library’s email opened with an overdue notice ready to be sent. Changkyun skims over it before nodding once. Kihyun turns to him with a polite, if nervous, smile. “I had a good night’s sleep, don’t worry.”

Changkyun nods again, a little more relieved. He grabs the mouse again to show Kihyun the list of people who needed to be sent notices for the day, not noticing how Kihyun eyed the couches nearby.

* * *

It’s after asking around and making some calls to some of his more sociable friends (Jeonghan laughed at him, but in the end gave him useful information), that Minhyuk is able to find the cinematography club.

He opens the door slowly to a seemingly empty, medium-sized room. There are framed movie posters hanging on the walls, a projector aiming to an empty wall, which had some couches in front of it. There is an open door on the side, and from where he’s standing, Minhyuk can see a green screen and a tripod, so he assumes that’s where they store their equipment. There’s a voice coming from that room as well.

“My internship ends in June, but I’m gonna to stay in Korea for a bit after that.” Says a familiar voice, making a pause before speaking again. “I’ve been busy moving, that’s why I didn’t call you earlier. It’s been taking up all my time, but I promise I do miss you.”

The voice sounds louder as steps approach from the room, and then, the same man Minhyuk saw yesterday crosses the door. The blond at first doesn’t see notices him standing there, too focused on the conversation he’s having other the phone, but once he turns to Minhyuk, he jumps, startled.

Minhyuk can’t help but smile gently.

 _Joonho_ looks at him, before talking again to the phone, a confused frown on his face.

“Talk to you later.” He hangs up. “Aren’t you…?”

“I can’t believe I actually found you.” The honey blond finally enters the room with a big smile on his face.

“What are you doing here?” _Joonho_ asks, frown still present.

“I came looking for you.” Minhyuk states proudly.

“How did you even find me?”

“Well, you said you were into filmmaking, right?” _Joonho_ nods. “I figured you could be a Film Studies major, which is why I came to the Art’s Department and came across this club room.”

 _Joonho_ is speechless for a few seconds, before chuckling.

“You are _really_ something.”

Minhyuk shrugs with a smile, and then goes to sit on one of the couches.

“But why did you lie to me?” He asks, now with a serious tone.

“I never lied to you.” _Joonho_ sits as well, and the honey blond raises an eyebrow.

“You weren’t the blind date I was there for yesterday.”

“I never said I was there for a blind date. It was you who assumed and kept talking. I was just… “ _Joonho_ shrugs. “I just played along, because you were funny.”

“So, what’s your real name, then?” Minhyuk leans forward.

“Lee Jooheon.” Jooheon, not _Joonho_ , shrugs again. “Believe it or not, it’s not the first time my name gets confused with Joonho.”

“I asked for _Kim_ Joonho, though.”

“Kim and Lee sound similat enough, I just thought you said Lee.” Jooheon lies smugly, an smirk on his face. “Did you eventually meet your blind date?”

“No, I didn’t. And I don’t intend to.” Jooheon lifts an eyebrow, as if asking him to elaborate. “Because I’ve met you.”

Jooheon chuckles again, amused.

“Do I need to meet certain requirements to join this club?” Minhyuk stands up and begins walking around the room, looking at the different posters in the wall.

“What?” Jooheon looks confused.

“The way we met has to be fate. Nothing could explain it better.” Minhyuk turns back to the other. “I was meant to meet someone else yesterday, but instead I met you. We even have similar interests.”

Jooheon snorts.

“I don’t think fate works like that, if there even is something like fate.” The blond crosses his arms.

“I want to believe it does.” Minhyuk sits back down. “I really want to join this club, though. What does it take to join?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay strong, monbebe.


End file.
